Effective extraction of heat produced by electrical devices is important in order to extend the useful life of these devices. A conventional heat sink device typically utilizes an array of extended surfaces, such as fins, integrally formed on a common base and projecting into ambient fluid surrounding the device. The base is placed in thermally intimate contact with a heat producing device to provide a conduction path to the fin array. Fluid circulation, through forced or natural convection, around the fin array, acts as a heat transfer medium to cool the heat producing device to a satisfactory operating temperature.
It is well recognized that various design parameters including fin geometry (e.g., the number of fins, fin spacing, and fin length and width), material selection, device characteristics, and ambient conditions, among others, influence the heat dissipation performance of the heat sink device (hereafter, heat sink). In certain applications, a plurality of fins arranged with predetermined dimensions, or predetermined channel width between adjacent fins may provide optimum heat sink performance.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a prior art heat sink assembly 100. A base clip 102 removably couples a heat sink 104 to a microchip 106. The base of the heat sink 104 is placed in contact with the microchip 106. A thermally conductive layer 108 can be placed in between the heat sink 104 and the microchip 106 to aid in the conduction of heat. The base clip 102 is then placed over the top of the heat sink 104. The base clip 102 couples to the bottom of the microchip 106 with two inward tabs 110 that frictionally fit to a bottom edge 112 of the microchip 106.
The heat sink 104 can be replaced or removed by uncoupling the base clip 102 from the microchip 106 and removing the base clip 102. Once the base clip 102 is removed, the heat sink 104 can be removed and/or replaced. The base clip 102 is then placed over the heat sink 104 and coupled to the microchip 106. The uncoupling and coupling of the base clip 102 to the microchip 106 can produce stress on the microchip 106 and result in damage to the microchip 106.
Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.